


Pushing Forward

by usermechanics



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25225405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usermechanics/pseuds/usermechanics
Summary: Chika and Kanan talk about the future of Uchiura.
Relationships: Matsuura Kanan & Takami Chika
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Pushing Forward

**Author's Note:**

> I need to practice writing angst because some of my bigger projects are going to get messy, so I tried writing a slightly angsty shortfic.

“Do you ever think about what’s going to happen to Uchiura, Chika?”

Kanan sat down at the dock next to her dive shop right next to her, toes dipping into the water. The weight of her question pushed her shoulders forward, like the stress of a bill that had yet to be paid. Chika looked on curiously, her gaze as filled with wonder as ever.

“What do you mean by that, Kanan-chan?”

“I mean, we’re a small town,” Kanan gestured to the sea, or rather, a lake or pond; it was one where Chika could, if she squinted, see the other end of the body of water. “People don’t really come here for anything, and people from here leave to do things. I just,” she sighed, “I just don’t know.”

“Kanan-chan,” Chika mumbled, “are you just sad that Mari-chan and Dia-san left for college?”

Chika could see Kanan’s teeth clenching, like her words were a branding iron prodding into her side. She reflexively backed away as much as she could without accidentally diving into the sea. Alas, nothing came of it from Kanan, who stood as tall as she had throughout their talk.

“I guess you can put it that way,” she remarked. “But what about you, Chika? Don’t you have places to be once you graduate high school?”

“The ryokan,” she immediately retorted. “I like this town a lot, Kanan. It’s small, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its charms.”

“Like the empty streets?” Kanan chided.

“Like knowing everybody.”

“Even when they all leave? I mean, there’s a reason Uranohoshi’s closing down. This town’s so small we need to go to the city to get an education.”

Chika straightened up and leaned towards Kanan, almost pleadingly. “But Riko-chan came from Tok—“

“I have no idea what her family was thinking. That they’d get away from it all?” Kanan pantomimed with air quotes as she talked. “The moment she graduates, she’ll be back in Tokyo. It’s like an extended vacation for her!”

Kanan huffed, curling forward even more. Chika’s palm ran across her back soothingly.

“I don’t know if she’s going to stay, but Riko-chan really enjoys it here.”

“What’s she going to do about it? Save it because someone from Tokyo came around and took a liking to this place?”

“I hope so,” Chika consoled. It did nothing to improve Kanan’s mood, though. Chika sighed, removing her hand from Kanan’s back so she could rest her palms against the dock.

“You know, Kanan-chan? I’m scared that this town’s gonna fail, too. It’s why I started Aqours. I wanted to bring some attention to this little town,” Chika paused with a huff, “but it didn’t work.” Her words stung as they came out. “I like this town a lot, Kanan-chan, and I hope that in some way, that it can come back. It’s not just because I have a business here that relies on people coming here. I like Uchiura, and I’ll do anything for it to stay on the map. I just wish I knew what to do.”

“You and me both,” Kanan immediately commented, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in. She could feel Chika warming up slightly; the cool summer evening didn’t do much to warm them up. “Sometimes, though, I just wish I had the confidence you have in this place coming back.”

“I’m more hopeful than anything,” Chika mused. “I’m not sure if this place will come back, but it doesn’t mean I can’t dream about a thriving Uchiura.”

“And what will you do if this place doesn’t make it?”

Chika hummed for a second. “Maybe work with Mari-chan. It won’t be as great as the ryokan but at least a hotel’s similar. What about you?”

Kanan shook her head. “Find another tiny seaside town and work there until it dies. Lather, rinse, repeat until I find a tourism town.”

“Maybe we’ll be working in the same city! I feel like if Mari doesn’t let me work for them, I’ll be a tour guide!”

“For a city you’re not used to?”

“I’ll try my best!”

Kanan chuckled. “I know you will, Chika, and that’s what I appreciate about you. You’re not afraid to take on a new challenge.”

“You’re like that too, Kanan-chan! Don’t sell yourself short!”

“I’m not, don’t worry,” Kanan remarked. “I’m just saying.”

Chika stayed quiet, letting herself indulge in the sunset reflecting over the waves with Kanan. It was one of those moments where she didn’t really find a need in saying anything outside of hearing her own voice, and maybe, just maybe, if they spent some time together, they could figure something out.

She hoped for Kanan’s sake.

“I’m just scared that you sell yourself short because you’re scared of this town and you’re so connected to it. Just because this place is how it is doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”

Kanan sighed, leaning into Chika. “It’s hard sometimes, you know?”

Chika wrapped an arm around Kanan and pulled her in. “I’m not gonna let you think negatively.”

“I’m thinking realisticall—“

“I don’t care! I don’t want you to pull away from everyone thinking of things that you can’t change!”

Chika paused, realizing that she was yelling right in Kanan’s face. At the very least, Kanan hadn’t flinched. Instead, she sobbed, pulling herself even more into Chika’s form.

“I try! I try, I try, I fucking try, Chika! I know that this town dying isn’t my fault, but what am I supposed to do about it? I’m stuck here, working a dead-end dive shop that’ll probably have to close down once this place finally pulls itself under, and I have nowhere to go! I can’t determine my own fate, and working a dive shop hasn’t helped me learn anything that I can use for a life outside of it!”

Chika’s arms locked around Kanan’s back, not caring about how her shirt was growing more stained with her tears. If anything, it gave her reason to hold her tighter, listening to the muted ramblings about how the world is scary and she had nothing but a high school education and a transcript that would have most colleges rejecting her.

“We’ll find something for you, Kanan-chan. If not me, than I’m sure that Dia-san or Mari-chan or You-chan could find something for you to do. I’m not sure what, but we’re here for you.”

Kanan sobbed louder as Chika spoke, and she held her tighter until her breath hitched. When she did, she pulled away, her eyes as red as her cheeks and stained with tears. “I’m just scared that they’ll leave when I’m working for them, and that I’m still just as disposable as this town!”

“You’re not, Kanan-chan. They left this town because of this town, not because of you. You’re still in touch with them, right?”

“I mean,” Kanan sniffled, “we send emails to one another, and we have a video call every other Saturday…”

“See?” Chika smiled. “They care about you all the same!”

“I guess so,” Kanan remarked, “It’s just hard to believe when they’re not with you, you know?”

Chika nodded. “If they could, though, I know they’d be here, doing whatever they do with you. I promise.”

Even though it wasn’t a Saturday, Kanan felt the urge to chat up either of them. The first thing that she’d do after this conversation is drop them an email.

“As long as Mari’s not grabbing me all the time,” Kanan stated, “I’ll be fine with it.”

“Feeling better, Kanan-chan?”

Kanan nodded, which earned her a kiss on the cheek. Kanan paused, and if it weren’t for her cry-reddened face, Chika would have seen her blush.

“I don’t like seeing you sad, Kanan-chan. I’ll stay the night if you want me to. Mito-nee’s working the ryokan tonight, so I’m free to do whatever.”

It took a few seconds to process what she said, but it didn’t take too long for her to reply.

“Yeah, I’d like you to stay the night."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not done with this idea quite yet; I just wanted to see how it would work in a smaller environment before working on something a bit larger. I hope it'll be worth it.


End file.
